The holidays create a lot of waste, with all the wrapped presents, holiday-centric clothing and strands of lights that don’t work anymore.
The day after Christmas, you might find yourself wondering what can be recycled and what needs to be thrown out, especially in Oklahoma City where many households are eligible for recycling services. But you don’t want to find yourself adding something to your green recycling cart that will cause issues or just end up at the landfill.
Here’s what you need to know about what types of holiday waste you can and cannot recycle, according to Oklahoma City’s Utility Department.
Can I recycle wrapping paper? What about other holiday waste
Rolls of wrapping paper sit in a bin at the self-serve gift wrapping station inside of the New Oxford Area Library at 122 North Peters Street, part of the Adams County Library System, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in New Oxford Borough.
Unless you’re strictly using plain paper bags and gift wrap, then you likely cannot recycle your wrapping paper.
According to the Ecology Center, most gift wrap is not recyclable. If you’re unsure, you can try crumpling it into a ball. If it crumples and keeps a ball shape, it’s recyclable. If it opens back up after you let go, it’s not recyclable.
You can also test it by trying to rip it. If it rips easily like printer paper, it’s recyclable. If it won’t tear and/or you notice a plastic-like layer, it needs to go in the trash.
Oklahoma City’s Utility Department has a “naughty or nice” list for recycling holiday waste:
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Nice (can be recycled in your green cart): Plain paper bags and wrapping paper, cardboard boxes and tubes, plastic bottles and containers, aluminum or steel cans, glass bottles and jars, cartons and paperboard.
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Naughty (goes in your blue trash cart): plastic bags, lights and cords, gift bags, tissue paper and wrapping paper with glitter or foil, clothing and other textiles, decorations like tinsel, ribbon, ornaments and wreaths.
Can I recycle my Christmas tree?
If you bought a live Christmas tree this year, it can be recycled. However, Oklahoma City warns residents not to put your tree in either your trash or recycling cart.
Instead, you have two options. You can either set your live or artificial tree out on the curb for bulky waste pickup, or you can bring a live tree to one of OKC’s tree recycling pickup locations where they will be turned into mulch.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Can I recycle gift wrap? What holiday waste can be recycled
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